Bhaichung rules out retirement

Doha: Talismanic Indian football captain
Bhaichung Bhutia on Tuesday ruled out retirement from the
international arena despite featuring for just 15 minutes in
the Asian Cup, saying he will assess his future in two months
and continue playing if he recovers fully from his calf muscle
injury.

Bhaichung missed India`s first two matches in the Asian
Cup and played for 15 minutes in the last match against South
Korea, his first international match after suffering a calf
muscle injury in mid September last year.

"I don`t want to retire injured. I will take a break for
two-three months and see that if I can recover fully from my
injury and after that I will decide. I think I will recover in
two or three months and then I will continue playing," he said
after India lost 1-4 against South Korea here.

"I consulted the Australian team doctor and other local
doctors here. Every two days blood clots are drained from my
calf and I took painkillers. I did not feel any discomfort in
the 15 minutes I played today. I am happy that I played in the
Asian Cup.”

"It is the biggest stage of football in Asia. For every
Asian player, the World Cup and Asian Cup are the biggest
tournaments. I am happy to have played in the Asian Cup," he
said.

"I will play in the next Asian Cup (in 2015 in
Australia)," he added in a lighter vein.

Bhutia said the team had learnt a lot from the
competition considering that they are playing for the first
time in 27 years.

"We are playing for the first time in the Asian Cup after
a gap of 27 years and we were clubbed against sides like
Australia and South Korea. But overall, the team did very well
and we have learnt a lot from the competition. We played very
well in the second half in all the three matches though we had
given too much respect to the opposition in the first half in
all the matches," he said.